Assalamoualaikum For general knowlegde and guidance i would like to know if a pregnant woman has known that the baby (say 4 months or above) when born will be handicapped or have some physical deformity, can she abort the child?

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

Aborting the fetus that has reached the age of four months is forbidden and it is one of the grave major sins, as this is killing a soul that Allaah The Almighty has forbidden to kill except with right. For more benefit, please refer to Fataawa 85930 and 82981.

The fact that the fetus is disabled or deformed is not a sound reason for carrying out the abortion. Allaah The Almighty Who created him is more merciful to him than his mother and father. Indeed, the fetus may be disabled or deformed but Allaah The Almighty may place great goodness in him for his parents in this worldly life and in the Hereafter which they could never imagine.

Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allaah knows, while you know not.} [Quran 2:216]

Allaah Knows best.